Tug DeWitt Clinton to lead Flight of Five Flotilla Oct. 9

by jmaloni

Submitted

Thu, Oct 3rd 2013 06:00 pm

The City of Lockport
will mark the beginning of restoration of the famed Erie Canal Flight of Five
Locks with a community celebration on Wednesday, Oct. 9,
beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Canal Street in the heart of downtown
Lockport.

Lockport Mayor Michael
W. Tucker will join federal, state and local dignitaries aboard the Tug DeWitt
Clinton in the Flight of Five Flotilla, which will arrive in the Erie Canal
Locks. Officials will ascend to Canal Street, the centerpiece of the Locks
Heritage District, for a brief program. Emmett Belknap Intermediate School
students will sing canal-era ballads prior to the start of the program.

Beginning at 9:30 a.m., a community market, displays and entertainment at
the Canal Street Gazebo will be open to the public. In addition, following the
program, free tours of the Erie Canal Discovery Center will be available.
Attendees can take advantage of free parking at the former Friendly's parking lot
on Main Street, and a free trolley shuttle service will take people to and from
Canal Street.

The New York State Canal
Corp. is commencing restoration of Erie Canal Locks 67-71 with a Phase I
project targeted at locks 69 and 70, beginning this fall. The New York State
Canal Corp. has awarded a construction contract to Hohl Industries of
Tonawanda. Hohl will mobilize the first week of October and begin work in
earnest once the canal has been closed for the winter season.

Locks 69 and 70 were
chosen for this phase of the work due to the relatively simple nature of the
work. Other locks in the Flight pose unique engineering challenges that still
need to be overcome, such as interference from existing bridges and other
structures. Locks 69 and 70 contain no such impediments. Restoration work is
expected to take approximately 12 months.

The Flight of Five
kick-off event is free and open to the public. Additional information is available
on Facebook by typing in "Erie Canal Flight of Five."